Remember this post, where I talked about the work and updating that WH and I had done on our house this spring? (And where I asked you what you’d change about your house, if you could?) Well there was a reason for all of that work. We’ve always planned to eventually end up in Colorado. If you’ve read the blog over the past few years, then you know how much we love it out there and how often we visit. We decided the Summer of 2011 was the time to make the move and we’re going for it. Woohoo!
We spent a whole heck of a lot of time getting our house ready to put on the market this spring. I think WH was wishing I hadn’t watched so many of those “House Hunters” and “Get it Sold” shows in the past year. However, all of that work paid off as our house sold on the first day, to a family with (obviously) great taste. 🙂
Selling quickly meant we had to high-tail it out to Colorado last week, to find a house to move into. We looked at a bunch and settled on one we liked. Look at this quick pic I took from the car. Can you see the lilacs blooming in front and on that side of the house? I took it as a clear sign that this house was meant for us. I come from a long line of lilac lovers. (“Long line of lilac lovers.” Say that 12 times.) It must have been the perfect week to visit, as there were lilacs blooming all over town.
So what does this all mean and how might it affect you?
We’ll move our household in mid-July. For the time being, we’ll keep running Loopy from St. Louis and will be packing and shipping your orders from here, as usual. When our Loopy lease is up in October, we’ll be moving The Loopy Ewe to Colorado (to the Fort Collins/Loveland area). We will probably have to take a week or 10 days off to do that, so we’ll have a short period of time where we won’t be shipping orders. We’ll be sure to give you plenty of notice about those dates. I wish I was bringing all of the Loopy Elves along with me. Sadly, they’re staying here in St. Louis. That means we’ll be on the lookout for a whole new batch of Colorado Loopy Elves in the fall, and I’ll be looking forward to having the original Loopy Elves pop out for visits.
Other questions you might have:
What about the Fall Club Loopy? That’s on hold at the moment. I don’t think it would work well to be in the middle of a Club schedule and do a move. We will probably wait until Spring to start Club Loopy back up again, although we might have a fun kit or two available before then.
What about The Spring Fling? Also on hold. We’ll see what we can figure out, once we get out there. We’ll be about an hour north of the Denver airport, so it’s a matter of figuring out the logistics of transportation and lodging and such. We’ll keep you posted.
What about the St. Louis in-store shoppers? You’ll all have to come out and visit us in the mountains! 🙂 I guess one benefit is that you won’t have to pay Missouri tax on your purchases, once we move. That’s good, right? And you’ll have the fun of stalking your mail person for your orders now. I hear that can be interesting. Seriously, though – we’ll miss seeing all of you local knitters on a regular basis. Fortunately, there are some great yarn shops in the St. Louis area, and I know you’ll continue to be well taken care of. And you know where to find us online!
What will the Colorado Loopy space be like? Well, we don’t have it lined up yet, but I can tell you what I’m hoping for. I’m hoping it will be a little bigger than what we have now. We’ll be adding in a few more things. I’m hoping to continue to avoid any kind of warehouse type of space. The set-up we’ve had in St. Louis has been great. I can promise you that we’ll still have awesome Elves to help you, colorful walls and shelves full of yarn to tempt you, and Monday Updates every week to keep you inspired and motivated. We’ll continue to keep fast shipping and top-notch customer service a high priority. And we’ll expect you all to come see it all in person. Soon. (Road Trip! There are other great yarn shops in Ft. Collins, too, as well as a wonderful downtown area. Come explore.)
Paul (WH) and I are really excited to be able to move to a place we love. Did I tell you that Web Guy moved to Denver last Christmas? So it will be fun to have him near by. And Knitting Daughter would love to end up out there one day as well. She’s a mountain-girl at heart. Funny thing – you take your kids to a certain spot for vacations their whole life, and they end up wanting to live around there. Good plan, right?
Where would you live if you could uproot and go anywhere?
Sheri nocicadasinColoradobuttheydohavetornadoesonoccasion
Wow, I’m so happy for you, but I’ll miss having Loopy Ewe right down the street from me. My son goes to school in beautiful Fort Collins! We took our kids to CO for vacations too. Now of course they love CO! I will visit you when I visit my son. Good luck with the big move!
I am thrilled to pieces for you and WH! And my home town, Omaha, is just halfway between Chicago and Ft. Collins, so BFF Sarah and I will be stopping there on our way to visit you and the new Loopy! She’s never been to Omaha or met that part of my family, so this is going to be lots of fun! Road trip!! Woo hoo!! I will miss the St. Louis elves, though. They are so wonderful. Change is often bittersweet, isn’t it?
I am excited beyond words that The Loopy Ewe is moving to Colorado ! For me this is a dream come true.Ft.Collins is only about an hour from Boulder and I hope to visit in person when your move is complete.Congratulations on your big move.I’ll be sending good thoughts your way that all goes well.
I would move to Ft. Collins too. My BFF lives there and if there was any place I could go to it would be there. You will love it there and she will love you all as long as your place is handicapped accessible. I am so excited for her to be able to come and shop in person with you.
Wow how exciting and how stressful! I wish you all the best in your move and new home. Can’t wait to see pics of Loopy’s new digs this winter!
And I wish all the best to the Elves that are in St. Louis.
I am so jealous, Sheri. Hubby & I are still in the process of getting the house ready to put on the market this summer. We can only hope that it sells as quickly as yours, but living in Florida means we don’t hold out much hope for that with the housing market such as it is. We will also be moving to the mountains (North Carolina) where we have been taking our family on vacations all their lives. In fact, our youngest daughter moved there six months ago in preparation. She can’t wait for us to move so we’ll be close by.
Congratulations to you both! What an exciting/nerve-wracking/thrilling/scary/joyous time. Hope your move is as smooth as silk.
Congratulations! You sound very, very, happy, even in print. Good luck with the move!
Whoo-hoo!!! ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Have I mentioned I love road trips? And BFF Liz is the World’s Greatest Road Trip co-pilot. Ask her how I know this. 😀
The St. Louis elves will be missed! Are they sure they don’t want to just pack up and go with you out there? 😀
My BIL and his wife have been begging us to come visit them in Ft. Collins forever. Now I’m determined to do it (although I won’t tell them what’s finally pushing me into doing it!)
How wonderful for you and Paul! With Danny already out there, I’m sure Julia will follow soon. It’s going to be a hectic, busy summer and fall for you all! Remember to take time to breath (and knit!).
I see a roadtrip in our future before Loopy leaves St. Louis. To say goodbye to the Elves! They will be missed.
Sarah and I will look forward to an upcoming Spring Fling when you get that all figured out. I’ve already figured its about a 14 hour drive from here, not quite the quick 4 hour jaunt to St. Louis, but still doable. Or maybe Amtrak and a rental car from Denver – that way we can both knit all the way!
What exciting (and scary?) news Sheri! I hope your move is quick and painless!
On a completely selfish note, I really hope that the Spring Fling tradition continues. It’s been such a magical event! I even dreamed about being there last night. The gift bags had lots of nerf balls in them. I’m not sure what that was all about, but I envision lots of trouble, with nerf balls sailing through the knitting lounges!
I will be watching to see updates on your move and your new life in Colorado. Enjoy it Sheri!!
I am so happy for you!! Congratulations on selling your house in one day (in these less than favorable economic times). I think moving to where you have vacationed is a splendid idea. That is exactly what my husband and I did eleven years ago. We had vacationed in New Mexico and fell in love with it. A few years later we moved from Chicago to Albuquerque. Best thing we ever did. I know you will say the same about your move to Colorado. Best of luck with the move and with relocating Loopy Ewe. I am loyal to Loopy Ewe via the internet, but sure would like to drive out to see the new store once it is up and running. God bless you!
Wow, that’s exciting! I was wondering how I’d schedule Loopy visits once my parents moved… this kinda solves the problem.. (not for pizza though…)
Oh, Hannah.. my parents are moving to NM too!
I love Colorado and if I’d not met my husband I’d likely be there too! I’ll have to manufacture a reason to go…
Good luck!
Congrats on the move and the speedy home sale! I love Colorado, it’s so beautiful. It’s on my list of places that I wouldn’t mind moving to. Need to get the husband out there to see it and see how he feels. 🙂
Congratulations and Welcome to Colorful Colorado 🙂 You’ll just be a few hours North of me, it will be fun to come visit once you’re settle! Have to start seriously thinking about attending a Spring Fling now!
Only down-side? Now I have to pay sales tax 😉
Again, welcome!
This is amazing. My sister (also a knitter) is at CSU doing her Masters right now! The chances of me ever getting out to a Spring Fling have just skyrocketed…
I love Colorado. I know y’all will too.
I LOVE where we are in AZ right now but wish we were on 4 or 8 acres of land (presently on 1 acre). We have a lovely view of the mountains and about 20 degrees cooler then Phoenix and 10 degrees cooler then Tucson. 🙂
How exciting! It will be hectic to run the business from afar, but maybe not as bad as moving house and business at the same time! Good luck.
Mixed emotions since I can stop by your shop on the way home from work now and pick up my order the same day. But it sounds like a blissful change for your family! I’ll be ordering from Colorado Loopy too, it just won’t be quite the same as having my own neighborhood’s “secret yarn shop.”.
You need any part time help when you get here???
yes??
please??
I am so excited! I live in Denver/Ft Collins (both, really – long story)! My stash is going to grow to epic proportions!
You’ll love Colorado, it’s a great place to live, work, and play! Welcome!
Woo Hoo! Welcome to Fort Collins! (or Loveland) Best place to live in the whole country! If you need anything out here, contact info for the moving process, stuff like that, don’t hesitate to holler. I can’t wait for you and Loopy to get here and get settled in!
Oh, and our tornadoes are really small this close to the mountains, and do hardly any damage.
Cool, welcome to Colorado!
Oh my… when I saw you were moving to Colorado I couldn’t scan down quickly enough to see where… and you’ll be right in my town! I could not be more super excited!!! Congrats on selling your home so quickly! Can’t wait to meet you in person, and to be able to actually see and touch all of the yarns before making my selections. Excited beyond words!!! 🙂
Oh my! I’m so excited. You’re coming to my town!!!!! I can’t wait to come shop at the Loopy Ewe. WHeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Colorado is wonderful…. but, I thought for sure living in St. Louis you would find a non-tornado area. After this week, I told my friends I want to move to Montana – no tornados, no mud slides, only bears. So far, I have one friend who is also ready.
Are you going to be near Estes Park (?spelling) ?
Best of luck with all this!
How exciting! It sounds like a great change of scene!
I’ve already got the uprooted part taken care of, and I have a lead on a very promising job … if it comes through, I’d like to live near it ;^)
I would move to CO too! Though when I first read this news, my hear sank, but lucky you! My yarn field trips to Loopy have been so much fun, wish I had read this earlier, I would have stopped in today! Will see you all next week for sure!
Welcome to northern Colorado! There is a wonderful fiber arts community here.
Sheri- I am so happy for you and Paul! I am sad for the Elves- but like someone said change is bittersweet. I am looking forward to a “road trip” and will be anxiously awaiting news on the Spring Fling. You are adding another page in your book of life and I think it is wonderful. All the best!
Wow! Such a change. Congratulations on the house sale–I have no doubt there were many many hours put in and it certainly paid off for you.
I love lilacs too–we don’t get them as much in Chicago and I do miss the fresh scent.
So I should put a note on my calendar to make a huge TLE purchase in September so you don’t have to move yarn right? 😉
I’ve been telling dh for years I would love to end up back in Longmont….I doubt it ever happens, but I’m really happy for you – you’re gonna love it!!!
I’ll miss being able to shop Loopy Ewe as one of our LYS’s but wish you the best of luck in your new location!
Wow! Congrats! And you know, I’d LOVE to go to a Fling in Colorado!
While I’m happy for you, I’m very upset for me, because now all of my money will be going to you IN PERSON.
Yay for you! Where would I like to live? There is a gorgeous apartment for sale in the Dakota in Manhattan right now — 5.8 million dollars. If I were to win the lottery, I would so be there!
Colorado is great, and if I had to move someplace besides Wisconsin, it would definitely be on my list. OK folks, yes Wisconsin is wild and crazy right now, and I’m kinda in the thick of the crazy, but, I still like the seasons here—yup, even the cold.
But, Colorado is beautiful. Plus I have two really good friends who live in Colorado, so the chances that I will get to visit Loopy are high, since one lives in Ft. Collins! I’m going to let her know as soon as I finish this post.
Good luck!
Congratulations!!! Wonderful that your home sold so quickly. Will be looking forward to spring fling in Colorado!!!!
WOOHOO!!!!! This means I will only be about 7 hours away from you rather than two days!! Oh, be still my beating heart! Awesome news! I cannot believe it! Do you get the idea I am excited and happy for all of you?!?! (cartwheels) 😀
Ooh, Colorado – lucky you! Road Trip!(DH chuckles – he loves Colorado, too.)
We would be following you! Colorado has always been my favorite vacation place and the last time we camped in Estes, we saw enough of the Loveland area to keep it in mind if we ever get to retire. Colorado is the only place I would consider living other than where I am. I love the seasons and can’t imagine life without – add mountains and it’s paradise. So, I am wildly jealous but happy my favorite yarn shop will be in my favorite place in the world. congratulations on the quick sale of your house and also finding your new home. Hope to see you soon.
I am glad that I got to a spring fling and TLE I before it moved. I do not know if I can get another pilgrimage to TLE before it moves to CO, but I do have a college friend living in the Denver area. We are taking a bus trip to CO in August, but TLE II will not be operational yet in CO. Good luck with your move – they are a lot of hard work.
All the best to you as you prepare for this adventure, Sheri! In my perfect world the Elves would come with you, but I don’t suppose their families would like that very much. 😉
I’ve never been to Colorado, but I have a sneaking suspicion that’s about to change. Road Trip!!!
I am thrilled for you! I’ve always dreamed of living in Seattle, Portland (OR), or San Francisco.
If I could pick up and move anywhere- it’d be back to San Francisco. Hubs and I love that place so much we literally ache for it! (And that was SIX YEARS ago!)
Wow! One extreme to the other. I lived in the Boulder area for about 9 months in 1999/2000 and have mixed views. It is very dusty and windy much more so that StL but certainly more dry than StL. Plus where we were the air polution was very, very bad. I do not recall what the area was like where youare moving to but the winds coming off the mountains are very strong but sometimes they just stop and then the rendering plant odor is very strong. I went to college out in Denver and there was a time where the winds were so bad that loaded tractor trailers were blown over and kids from school who had gone up into the mountains to ski had their car windows all blown out, so the winds are certainly fierce. The weather changes on a dime but you can usually tell when something is going to happen as you can see for miles around and you always know what direction you are going because of those big hills (mountains some call them). My husband is from central valley in CA and said that he always knew where he was because the ocean on one side and the foothills on the other. I told my husband that I had some bad news and he was kind of worried at first. Then I broke it too him gently that my favorite yarn store was moving out of St. Louis. I told him you were moving to CO and he said well he could open a consulting firm and then I could go work for you. I think that is what should happen. Engineers can work almost anywhere right?
So happy you found a house/home so quickly and that yours sold on the first day. Looks like you found a lovely place too. I am sure you can and will find a wonderful location for a new Loopy and the elves will just start showing up right when you need them the most. As I order mostly from the internet I will continue to shop that way, but I am from StL so I always tried to plan visits while home, so for that alone I am going to miss not having you there.
I rcommend a professional moving company and yes they are costly but so worth it in my opinion. I have moved many times so get at least three moving companies to come give you estimates that say not to exceed or guaranteed no more than the extimate they give you. I have gone both ways having them pack for me or we did the packing in our boxes that we have kept after all of our moves. If you pack yourself go to a moving company or a paper company and get plenty of packing paper. It is just the right size and use plenty so the boxes are nice and tight, something I learned from watching the professionals. Remember moving expenses are tax deductible if over 50 miles so I think this makes it more desirable and also can help with your sanity. Our last move from IN to TX was mixed. The real problem was that we did it in two moves, one we did ourselves into an apartment which was very exhausting and stressful as we loaded the car on a dolly, drove the fullly loaded truck from U-Haul two days to TX with a cat and then had to unload everything ourselves up three flights of stairs. After we bought a house we were able to get everything out of storage and the movers arrived with everything and they unloaded where it needed to be unloaded and that was that so I highly recommend the professional move with young able bodies packing, carrying and moving. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail as I have used many movers and have done this many times.
Wow! How wonderful to live your dream and move to Colorado. I lived in Estes Park for three years *many* years ago and have nothing but fond memories for living in the mountains and Colorado. Good luck with the move and now I’ll have even more incentive to get out to Colorado for visits!
What exciting news for you Sheri and your lovely family! I can’t wait to come to the next
Spring Fling in a lovely mountain lodge. Wherever the Loopy Ewe is I will follow